Apple News & Updates : Two Guys And A Podcast

iMac

WWDC 2015 is just around the corner, but one of the most interesting updates to the Mac product line will not be mentioned on Monday. Over the next year we can expect all new Mac models to begin incorporating Touch ID into their designs.

All new iPhones and iPads have Touch ID, and Apple Watch leverages the technology with Apple Pay abilities. Apple intends to extend the technology to Macs, eliminating the need for laborious passwords. Consider this Apple’s secure One Password solution, only faster, easier, more secure — better. Like iOS, upon reboot, OS X will require the user to type in their password to start using Touch ID (for security) but after that passwords for access to your Mac or Keychain can all be had with your fingerprint.

If you hadn’t noticed, Apple is on what can only be described as a never-ending tear of success, and their enemies seem incapable or inept at stopping them. But this does not mean other tech players aren’t trying to wear their big-boy pants — they just continue to come up short at competing effectively. Perhaps the worst offender is Microsoft. Under former CEO Steve Ballmer, the Redmond software giant became very good at making lofty promises, delivering failures, demonstrating vaporware or throwing an occasional chair. Today’s Microsoft, run by Satya Nadella, is now a softer, gentler software vendor, but has yet to be any more effective at defeating the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and soon to arrive and dominate the wearable market, Apple Watch.

Nadella showed initial promise by downplaying the consumer electronics market, turning his focus on enterprise solutions. Old habits die hard. Microsoft is once again is pulling out their Fisher Price "My First Marketing Playbook" in another attempt at capturing the consumers eye with Surface 3. Will a cheaper Surface, whose best feature is the 5 seconds of switching between a poor tablet and so-so ultrabook, backed with a massive advertising budget, be enough to derail Apple’s best laid plans?

Apple recently launched a revolutionary all-new MacBook, updated and added a new feature to the MacBook Pro and refreshed their MacBook Air line. Not since early 2011 has Apple had six distinct laptop models in which to choose from, with price points starting at $899, moving well beyond $2,500 for a custom outfitted, hot rod machine. Which MacBook is right for you?

The Basics:

I’m going to make this pretty simple, so I will start with the basics. If you have ever purchased a car, home, or watched Property Brothers, it all starts with a budget. What can you afford? If you do not have $899 to spend on a laptop, then you can stop right here, as Apple simply has nothing new to offer you as far as a laptop goes. However, if you are a student, the entry price starts at $849, while moving upstream generally saves $100 off any MacBook. For non-students, if your budget can fit between $899 - $2,000, you can afford every MacBook in every display size Apple has to offer.

What is in an Apple patent? Usually, not much. Apple applies for hundreds of patents for all sorts of unusual and strange technologies, but Monday the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a patent that could change the way we view the world – literally. But is the patent a rehash of something old, or does Apple really want this Kodak goodness for a future device?

Sometimes we get spoiled. We seldom stop to reflect on what has happened, always wanting more of something we don't yet have. Tis one of the pitfalls of capitalism coupled with our natural, insatiable tendency for something more. The fix for this problem is gratitude — being thankful for what we do have and have been given.

In the realm of Apple, this plays out in our desire for the “next best thing” instead of looking around us and being amazed at all the things Apple has done, just in 2014. Here are a few highlights to reflect upon from Apple in 2014.

As Christmas rapidly approaches, there are many friends or family members pining for some Apple goodness in their lives. Time is limited, so hopefully the list below will help you with some ideas that are within your budget. NOTE: Our links take you directly to the product we have in mind.

The iMac was recently updated to include a stunningly high-resolution 5K display. Saying a fancy number like "5K" is one thing, but seeing it in person is quite another. The display is simply breathtaking, and the retina feel from my staring eyeballs from just two-feet away was in full effect. Simply put, Apple's iMac Retina 5K display is the best on the market in an all-in-one. So where is Apple's 27" 5K Thunderbolt display?

Apple currently sells the 27" Thunderbolt display for $999, while the iMac with Retina 5K display starts at $2,499. Based on Apple's previous 27" iMac pricing (which used the exact 2560 x 1440 display as the 27" Thunderbolt monitor), it would seem reasonable for Apple to sell a 5K display for roughly $1,499.

It was just a couple of months ago that bloggers across the globe — including a few of us at T-GAAP — were asking whether Apple CEO Tim Cook was ever going to take Apple forward. More iPhone, iPad, an Mac updates, it was becoming an innovation snooze-fest as Apple hadn’t entered a new market category or created a revolutionary new product for years.

While WWDC gave developers an entire suite of new software tools such as Metal, Heath Kit and Swift, consumers were wondering whether the magic of creating something new had died with Steve Jobs. Don’t get me wrong, Tim Cook has done a wonderful job managing the company, but users of Apple product expect more than just good company management, they expect cool new technologies that no one but Apple can deliver.

Less than 24 hours until Apple’s October 2014 Special Event. The web and social media are a-buzz with what everyone thinks will be behind door #1, #2 and #3. We have even made our best guesses as to what Tim Cook & Co will announce. Following are the odds of what we can expect tomorrow: